For all the goodness and the good people that live here
A line is a line. There is no mundhufy-ing (barge ahead). Period. Even the person at the counter never ever encourages it. Once I saw a lady at counter saying “Sir, please step back, the lady behind you was the first to join the line!”
Stranger says bless you at public when you sneeze!
Every other person asks “Are you okay?” with a concerned voice when you look, walk and act like a zombie!
The space you get around even in a crowded local train. There is no pushing or pulling! Okay even those occasional pushes are gentle and comes with a hesitation! Its definitely not that “taken for granted” push that I am so used to!
Speaking of train, the way incoming passengers wait until the last one gets out even if the train stops only for 45 seconds in that station!
Mind everyone’s own business! No stares! No peeking! No eavesdropping (at least its not visible like how the ears naturally tend to move towards the inviting direction)!
Good Morning, Have a good day, Stay safe, Good Night – all with a warm smile and to top them all, the instant hugs! They pass an unknown warmth to the soul!
Public library – what do I say? Pure bliss!!
And the trigger for this post is an incident shared by M
One evening, M, few more and a differently-abled person were waiting to board the bus.
For the uninitiated, the buses here are well equipped to accommodate differently-abled people. The front door steps will be lowered and an accessible platform will be opened up so that the person can smoothly get into the bus with her/his motored wheelchair. The driver folds first row of seats and buckles up the wheelchair with the secured belt in that row.
Back to the incident, the bus reached the stop a while later and unfortunately the accessible platform didn’t work how hard the driver tried. The driver was left with no option but to ask the person to wait for the next bus. The highlight was what she did after that. She also waited for the next bus to arrive the stop. Of course, some passengers at the bus were furious including M as all that every soul wanted was to go back home soon after a tiring work day! But, the driver didn’t budge. She waited for ten minutes until the next bus arrived, helped the person to board the bus and kicked her own bus only after the other bus left.
I don’t know if I would have appreciated this at the heat of the moment but thinking about it now I say this as a noble act and God bless America for inculcating these attitudes in every (okay at least every other) common man as a natural social behavior!
Between my littles and me 
Wow! Now I really want to just migrate to America :):)
What a lovely lovely incident M had to share…I can understand the co passengers’ frustrations..but kudos to the driver..really! And in India this would have led to the public breaking the windows and seats of the bus!
I think at India its the service vs population problem. we do not have enough service for our population hence its a crowd everywhere.. I guess this has to come from the government.
That’s really nice of her Ani 🙂
You know how it is in chennai right or matter of India .. I don’t even want to talk about it 😦
I know! I know!! Sigh.. but Tharani I think at India its the service vs population problem. It is the same Indian who adjusts to the lifestyle here and waits in the line. It has to come from the government even enforced on initial days until people follow it..
Wow , I cant imagine that ever happening in India! The buses will improve, but we won’t! I can tell you countless incidents of how women just don’t get up to offer a pregnant woman or a woman with a child their seat – it’s appalling.
For the people to change, the law should be changed Archana!! that’s the only way out!
Wow. Touching. Bless them ! It was just the other day that one impatient driver took off before I could alight. My one leg on the bus and one off :(. Survived somehow.
Sigh.. Glad you are not hurt Me!! take care
God bless America!
truly!!
That’s indeed very warm!! Hope we too get that kind of culture here in India..
Hugs..
yeah and I believe it can happen only if we make our laws more strict with less loopholes and more importantly the people on higher sector follow it first!! At India, laws and rules are made only for middle class and poor people..
Such a sweet post. No pushing while boarding train??!! That’s something I badly wanted when I was commuting by train. I used to hold my dupatta, handbag along with my ‘thali’ and very importantly my hair 😦
the “thali” reminds me of amma’s morning walk. Local police had advised the ladies going for morning walk to wear “yellow rope” for safety. On hearing this, I was like seriously? the police said this? shame on them!! Such is our nation’s nilamai now!!!
Totally know what you mean. As you know I spent a few weeks this winter and it was so nice to be given the space and yet be treated as a human. Australia is quite similar but India is a totally different story isn’t it? Kudos to the driver – I hope M was able to get her name – you totally should send a link to this blog post to the local METRO (or whatever it is called with the bus number, date and time of service) – the driver needs to get recognized and rewarded
hey, hope you had a good time at US. thanks for that note. I will ask M to ask for her name if he happens to see her again!
Honestly, on that day M was annoyed as he came home one hour late and I don’t blame him either!!
You have put it nicely, I have always felt that warmth even from stranger . No doubt people are more considerate towards each other . I have an incident share. Will blog.
I am glad to have given you a fodder.. that’s is all we need these days na? 😉
Such a warm post, Ani! 🙂
🙂
That’s a wonderful story and makes me happy to be an American. Thank you. I’m going to post this on my Facebook so my friends can read it.
thanks and glad you liked it!